Thanks for the input Tom and some great suggestions. At some point in the future I may go down the SPU route, I did have a look at the Ortofon website which has fueled further confusion, they seem to have an SPU for differing types of mono vinyl playback, the GM MK II is for 25 micron records, then they do one for 65 micron records, I wouldnt know which mono records I have to be honest and does it make much difference?
Vinyl rig 1 - NAS Spacedeck / FR64s / Lab 12 Melto / Denon SUT / Ortofon GM SPU. Vinyl rig 2 Mono Set Up - Lenco GL75 c/w Jelco 750D / AT33 Mono / EAR 834P Modded. Amplifiers - Audio Note Empress Silver / Hattor Passive Pre. Digital - Fanless Mini PC / Lampizator TRP / Linear PSU / Hummingboard Network audio adaptor. Speakers - Horns.pl Mummy's. Cables are Audio Note / Albedo / Furutech Speaker wire. Power conditioner is a Gigawatt PC2 EVO
Location: London
Posts: 685
I'm James.
LPs are the 25 micron variant, 65 micron is for 78s I believe, equating to 1mil, and 2.5 or 3mil respectively (in old money sizes)
Edit: yes it makes a huge difference. One benefit of VR11 and similar is that they have rotatable styli so you can change the stylus using a knob on the headshell.
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Well actually that's where it gets interesting.
Later mono - as in modern reissues, and mono LPs from about 1960 - have a v shaped groove and narrow groove width as, on the whole they were cut and pressed on stereo gear. Use 0.7mil/17-18 micron tips, fancy stylus profiles can be ok
Early mono sometimes labelled Microgroove was in use from early 50s, petering out about 1960,but there were older pressing and cutting gear in use till the mid 60s so you get the odd late one. Use 1.0 mil/25 micron tips. Grooves are u shaped and really only spherical tips work.
78 grooves got smaller over time archivists use a range from maybe 4.0 mil for 1920s stuff to 2.5 in the 1950s (65 micron in Orofon speak) - I have a subset of these options from expert stylus.
SPUs are divided into horizontal motion only (recreations of vintage ones) and the Mono GM that also has horizontal motion detection but moves vertically too - kinder if you accidentally use it on a stereo record.
More info on this post http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...522#post888522.
You need to look at the mono you have - if it's mainly reissues or later stuff you need a narrow tip; if it's mainly older and a lot of great jazz and classical is in this category then you need a thicker tip. Some of us end up with both.
There's also the whole business of equalisation pre adoption of the RIAA standard but that's another can of worms entirely!
Last edited by montesquieu; 05-10-2017 at 07:55.
Or this one .... http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...=miyajima+mono
(especially post 23)
Location: Lancing W. Sussex
Posts: 116
I'm Jack.
I have Petrat's old AT33 mono (which I havent used yet), but I have played with a worn out Decca Gold which I had retipped and returned to mono by John Wright. In this mode it's tracking ability is much improved - it never was much good in the vertical plane so only having to go side to side suits it. The previous owner of it when it was stereo heard it at my place as a mono cart in a Wilson Benesch Act 0.5 and said he could never get it to track that well before.
Great resume of what is involved in mono Tom.
Jack NSM